Have you been cheated out of an inheritance?

When administering an estate it is often necessary to obtain a grant of probate from the Probate Registry. This gives the holder the legal right to deal with a deceased’s property and other assets.

Statistics released by the Probate Registry show that more and more people appear to be applying for the grant of probate themselves. This is perhaps not surprising considering how much some organisations can charge for their administration service (see our article: Are you paying too much?).

More worryingly, Probate Registry information shows that despite an increase in the number of people passing away, the number of probate applications has remained the same.

There could be a number of reasons for this, but one theory is that more personal representatives are dealing with estates without bothering to apply for a grant of probate. This increases the risk of assets not reaching those entitled to them because the people administering the estate could be dealing with it inexpertly or even fraudulently.

There is, therefore, a chance that you may have been entitled to a legacy under the terms of a will which you have never received. Moreover, if the trend continues, it is something that may happen to more and more of us.

Gard & Co. are often instructed by clients who believe they had been left something in a relative’s will but receive nothing and cannot get a satisfactory response from the people dealing with the estate.

If you think you might have been left something in a will and are having difficulties finding out the information you need, contact Robert, Jane, Glenn or Amy on 01752 668246 or send an email by clicking here.